Device for removing chips produced by the machining head of a machine tool

ABSTRACT

A device for removing chips produced by a machining head. A pressurized liquid supply pipe is connected to a dispenser for spraying the machine tool so that the liquid carries the chips into a discharge area. The dispenser consists of at least one multidirectional nozzle for spraying liquid throughout the space including the main places where the chips fall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to machine tools, and is directed moreparticularly at a device which makes it possible to remove and evacuatethe chips formed and ejected during machining of a part.

2. Discussion of the Background

In classical equipment, the chips formed during machining of a part areflushed from the zone of the cutting tool by liquid jets emerging fromdirectional nozzles disposed nearby and oriented toward the tool and thetool holder. The chips drawn along by the liquid are then collectedtogether therewith in an evacuation housing disposed in the lower partof the machine tool.

Nevertheless, such devices suffer from the drawback of allowing thechips to accumulate in the form of agglomerate in the multiple ejectionzones not sprayed by the liquid jets. These agglomerates areparticularly heavy during high-speed machining of materials such asaluminum-base materials, for which the chips, which are of small size,are ejected into the entire space surrounding the tool and the part tobe machined. Agglomerates of chips hardened and stuck to the surroundingwalls then break off randomly and interfere with machining of the partin progress, making it necessary to stop and clean the machine tool.

One known technique for overcoming this drawback is to increase thenumber of liquid-atomizing nozzles and to orient the nozzles toward thepoints of heaviest accumulation of chips.

This solution involves a greater number of liquid-supply tubes and anincrease in space requirement and weight of the device, with all theassociated drawbacks when the said device must be fixed on removablehoods for maintenance operations. Furthermore, the greater number ofliquid-atomizing nozzles leads to an increase of liquid consumption andachieves merely a shift in the chip-accumulation zones, which stillbecome grouped behind the nozzles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is therefore to remove the chipsejected by a machine tool by means of a device which requires littlespace, is simple to install without the possibility of loss ofadjustment, is economical as regards liquid consumption, is effectivewithin a large radius of action and can be manufactured simply andeconomically.

The device according to the invention for removal of chips ejected bythe machining head of a machine tool comprises at least onepressurized-liquid delivery line connected to distributor means suitablefor spraying the machine tool in order to draw the chips together withthe liquid toward an evacuation outlet.

According to the invention, the device for removal of chips ejected bythe machining head of a machine tool is characterized in that thedistributor means are achieved by at least one nozzle ofmultidirectional type capable of atomizing the liquid throughout anappropriate spraying volume, said volume comprising the main zones ofdeposition of ejected chips.

According to another characteristic of the invention, themultidirectional nozzle is provided with a head having orifices whichatomize substantially straight liquid jets, the head being mountedmovably in such a way that the jets periodically sweep over the entiretyof the volume.

According to another characteristic of the invention, themultidirectional nozzle is provided with a rotary head.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the rotary head isof the automatically turning type, wherein the torque generated byatomization of the liquid drives the head in rotation.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the rotaryhead has spherical shape and is provided with multiple tangentiallyoriented orifices.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the rotary head isof the whirling type.

According to another characteristic of the invention, themultidirectional nozzle is disposed in such a way that it directlysprays the tool under a favorable angle.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the machining headof the machine tool as well as the part and the multidirectional nozzleare disposed in the same closed enclosure.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the machine toolis a high-speed machining machine with high feed speeds.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the pressurizedliquid is a soluble oil which is atomized by the multidirectional nozzlethroughout the duration of machining.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, aspects and advantages of the present invention will bebetter understood from the description given hereinafter of anembodiment of the invention, presented by way of non-limitative examplewith reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic diagram of a device according to theinvention for removal of chips ejected by a machine tool;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a multidirectional nozzle that can be used forthe device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

To facilitate reading of the drawings, like parts are denoted by likereference symbols from one figure to the other. In addition, only theelements necessary for understanding of the invention are illustrated.

The device shown in FIG. 1 for removal of chips comprises a tube 1connected on the one hand to a general system 9, which suppliestool-spraying liquid such as soluble oil under a pressure of at least 2bar, and on the other to a multidirectional spray nozzle 2 ofautomatically turning type, disposed inside an enclosure 4 and atomizingliquid through 360°.

Enclosure 4 contains a machine tool provided with a work-holder mount 8and a machining head 7, which can produce numerous chips duringmachining of a part 6. The machine tool is provided in its lower partwith a trough 3 for recovery of spray liquid and chips. This trough 3,which is disposed at the lower level of enclosure 4 and is connected toan evacuation tube 10, can be provided, for example, with inclinedplanes on both sides of its opening in order to improve recovery of theliquid and chips.

According to the particular embodiment of the device presented in FIG. 1for removal of the chips, enclosure 4 is closed in such a way as tolimit ejection of chips and of spray liquid to a given volume, the saidvolume being adapted in such a way as to permit easy maintenance of theelements of the machine tool such as machining head 7 and work-holdermount 8.

The position and length of tube 1 present in enclosure 4 are adaptedsuch that multidirectional nozzle 2 disposed at the end of tube 1 hassufficient clearance to permit direct spraying of a maximum volume ofenclosure 4.

In addition, the placement of multidirectional nozzle 2 can be chosen soas to favor spraying of machining head 7, of part 6 to be machined andof work-holder mount 8. Thus multidirectional nozzle 2 can be disposed,for example, in the upper part of enclosure 4 in such a way that itsprays the machining zone at an angle favorable for drawing the maximumof chips toward recovery trough 3.

On the outside of enclosure 4 a solenoid valve 5 is disposed in tube 1downstream from the connection to the general system which supplies thespray liquid. This solenoid valve 5 is connected to the automaticcontrol system of the machine tool in such a way that the spraying ofliquid in enclosure 4 is synchronized with the machining of part 6.

Such a device makes it possible in simple manner to control the problemof deposits of chips in the machining zone of a machine tool. Thisdevice is particularly effective in the case of high-speed machiningoperations producing numerous chips of small size which are then ejectedinto the entire surrounding space.

In fact, in contrast to classical devices with directional nozzles, theatomization of the liquid by multidirectional nozzle 2 accompanied byreflection of the liquid jets on the walls of enclosure 4 permitscomplete spraying of the volume of enclosure 4. Thus the chips ejectedinto the entire volume of enclosure 4 are rapidly sprayed and drawnalong by the liquid toward evacuation trough 3. The use of anautomatically turning multidirectional nozzle 2 additionally makes itpossible to achieve spurt-like ejection of liquid to a given point ofenclosure 4, thus contributing to increasing the effectiveness of thejet in detaching the chips from the walls.

Such a device makes it possible with a single multidirectional nozzle 2to achieve an effectiveness greater than that of a classical device withlarger number of directional nozzles while also requiring less liquidconsumption. The device according to the invention also has theadvantage of being simple to install, since it needs only one singleliquid-delivery tube.

Of course, FIG. 1 illustrates only one particular embodiment of thedevice according to the invention for removal of chips, and it ispossible to imagine replacing enclosure.4 by suitable fairing of certainzones in such a way that ejection of chips or of liquid can be limited.

Another conceivable option is to increase the number of multidirectionalnozzles 2 in order to adapt the spray volume to the machine tool.Similarly, the supply pressure of tube 1 with spray liquid and theflowrate of multidirectional nozzle 2 will be chosen as a function ofthe quantity and nature of the chips produced by machining head 7 of themachine tool.

FIG. 2 shows a multidirectional nozzle which can be used for the deviceaccording to the invention for removal of chips. This nozzle ofautomatically turning type, reference number 583.269.55, distributed bythe LECHLER Co., has a collar 21 mounted to rotate around a body 22.Collar 21 is perforated with orifices 23 which permit atomization of theliquid while collar 21 is simultaneously driven in rotation. Theatomization of the liquid by multiple orifices 23, in combination withthe rotation of the collar, makes it possible to achieve ejection ofliquid in the entire space surrounding multidirectional nozzle 2.

Of course, the invention is in no way limited to the described andillustrated embodiments, which have been provided only by way ofexamples.

To the contrary, the invention comprises all the technical equivalentsof the described means as well as combinations thereof if such are madewithin the spirit of the invention.

Thus, the nozzle of FIG. 2 may be replaced by any other type ofmultidirectional nozzle, such as a nozzle of the whirling head type oreven a nozzle with a fixed head having multiple orifices.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for removal of chips ejected by amachining head of a machining tool, said device comprising at least onepressurized-liquid delivery line configured to deliver liquid; means forevacuating the liquid and the chips; and means for distributing theliquid, said distributor means being connected to said at least onepressurized-liquid delivery line, said distributor means beingconfigured to spray the machine tool with the liquid in order to drawthe chips together with the liquid toward the evacuation means, saiddistributor means including at least one multidirectional nozzleconfigured to atomize the liquid throughout a spraying volume, saidvolume comprising main zones of deposition of ejected chips from saidmachining head, wherein said multidirectional nozzle is provided with ahead having orifices which atomize substantially straight liquid jets,said head being mounted movably such that the jets periodically sweepover an entirety of said volume.
 2. A device according to claim 1wherein said multidirectional nozzle is provided with a rotary head. 3.A device according to claim 2 wherein said rotary head is configuredsuch that a torque generated by atomization of the liquid automaticallydrives said head in rotation.
 4. A device according to claim 3 whereinsaid rotary head has a spherical shape and is provided with multipletangentially oriented orifices.
 5. A device according to claim 2 whereinsaid rotary head is a whirling rotary head.
 6. A device according toclaim 1 wherein the multidirectional nozzle is disposed such that themultidirectional nozzle directly sprays the tool at an angle favorablefor drawing the chips towards the evacuation means.
 7. A deviceaccording to claim 1 wherein the machining head, a part and themultidirectional nozzle are disposed in a same closed enclosure.
 8. Adevice according to claim 1 wherein said machine tool is a high-speedmachining machine.
 9. A device according to claim 1 wherein thepressurized liquid is a soluble oil which is atomized by themultidirectional nozzle throughout a duration of machining.
 10. A deviceaccording to claim 3 wherein said rotary head is a whirling rotary head.11. A device according to claim 2 wherein the multidirectional nozzle isdisposed such that the multidirectional nozzle directly sprays the toolat an angle favorable for drawing the chips towards the evacuationmeans.
 12. A device according to claim 3 wherein the multidirectionalnozzle is disposed such that the multidirectional nozzle directly spraysthe tool at an angle favorable for drawing the chips towards theevacuation means.
 13. A device according to claim 4 wherein themultidirectional nozzle is disposed such that the multidirectionalnozzle directly sprays the tool at an angle favorable for drawing thechips towards the evacuation means.
 14. A device according to claim 5wherein the multidirectional nozzle is disposed such that themultidirectional nozzle directly sprays the tool at an angle favorablefor drawing the chips towards the evacuation means.
 15. A deviceaccording to claim 2 wherein the machining head, a part and themultidirectional nozzle are disposed in a same closed enclosure.
 16. Adevice according to claim 3 wherein the machining head, a part and themultidirectional nozzle are disposed in a same closed enclosure.
 17. Adevice according to claim 4 wherein the machining head, a part and themultidirectional nozzle are disposed in a same closed enclosure.
 18. Adevice according to claim 5 wherein the machining head, a part and themultidirectional nozzle are disposed in a same closed enclosure.
 19. Adevice according to claim 6 wherein the machining head, a part and themultidirectional nozzle are disposed in a same closed enclosure.
 20. Adevice according to claim 2 wherein said machine tool is a high-speedmachining machine.